Description

SPECIFICATIONS AND ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Introduction
Multnomah County (MultCo) Distribution Services provides County agencies pickup and delivery of mail and select supplies, processing and metering of U.S. Mail, U.S. Mail training and consultation, and management of mail services contracts. The goal is to provide cost-effective distribution and mailing services in a manner that balances the needs of our direct customers with those of the taxpayers. Distribution Services accomplish these goals with our professional and knowledgeable employees that provide technical support to other MultCo departments, programs, and staff with their distribution and mailing needs.
1. GENERAL SERVICES
a. Supplier will provide to all MultCo programs, with the exception of the Elections Division, all equipment, materials and labor necessary to furnish the following: mail pickup; barcoding; presorting; banding and traying; other services such as folding, inserting, addressing, and metering. Supplier will process and deliver to the U.S. Postal Service all eligible first class mail on a requirements basis as directed by MultCo.
b. Supplier will provide these services in a manner that maximizes the postage discounts available for the mail to the greatest extent practicable. The Supplier will be responsible for processing and delivering the mail to the Postal Service.
c. Supplier will perform all services under the contract in compliance with any and all relevant U.S. Postal Service mailing and automation requirements.
d. As directed by MultCo, Supplier will also receive from MultCo and MultCo authorized and contracted for service providers, First Class Permit Mail and Standard Mail.
e. Supplier may process and deliver First Class Permit Mail and Standard Mail on the day after pickup, whether picked up from MultCo, or received from the authorized service provider. Supplierâs delivery of the First Class Permit Mail and Standard Mail to the Post Office will be at no charge to MultCo.
f. When metered by MultCo for the next business day, the Supplier will process and deliver First Class Mail to the U.S. Postal Service on the day the mail is dated.
g. Supplier will pickup from MultCo and deliver fully stamped and metered First Class Mail to the U.S. Postal Service at no additional charge during regularly scheduled pickups.
2. ELIGIBLE MAIL
Supplier will process all letter mail or flats that are properly addressed and zip coded with postage affixed and meet all applicable U.S. Postal Service standards for weight and physical characteristics. If mail is improperly posted, dated, or not identified, Supplier shall notify MultCo, and seek MultCoâs direction on how to proceed.
3. INELIGIBLE MAIL
Supplier will submit to the Post Office additional postage for each piece not eligible at the metered rate. The additional postage will be added to MultCoâs invoice and identified as residual postage with details reflecting the number of pieces receiving additional postage listed by date, and the amounts of additional postage paid.
4. DELIVERY
Supplier will deliver barcoded and/or presorted mail to the U.S. Postal Service on the same day it is picked up in compliance with the U.S. Postal Service scheduled requirements. In the case of equipment failure, Supplier will pay all costs associated with upgrading the mail to first class and delivering the mail to the U.S. Postal Service on the same day the mail is picked up. Note, First Class Permit mail and Standard Mail may be processed the day after pickup.
5. POSTAL RATE QUALIFICATIONS
Supplier will process all mail to meet the greatest possible postage discounts, using prevailing automated and non-automated discount rates set by the U.S. Postal Service.
6. METERED POSTAGE
MultCo will meter the mail at the 5 digit presort barcoded rate.
7. ADDRESS QUALITY
MultCo will make best efforts to ensure that addresses are properly positioned on the envelopes.
8. READABILITY AND REJECTED MAIL
Mail will be run through the sorting machines at least twice before being considered rejected. If the readability rate on mail persistently falls below 90% for four consecutive weeks, the Supplier and MultCo will work together to determine the cause of the problem and to identify potential solutions. In such circumstances, the Supplier will provide photocopies of rejected letters to assist in the evaluation of the problem.
9. PICKUP SCHEDULES
a. Supplier will be located within the Portland Metropolitan Area, as to allow delivery and pickup within 30 minutes (one-way) of MultCo Distribution Center located at 401 North Dixon Street, Portland, OR 97227.
b. MultCo reserves the right to direct the Supplier to provide pickup and delivery services within this radius.
c. Supplier will pick up mail from MultCo Distribution Center at 4:15 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Legal holidays.
d. Supplier will be allowed to pick up the mail up to one-half (Â½) hour later than the agreed upon pickup time to allow for traffic conditions or equipment problems.If the Supplier does not arrive within the one-half (Â½) hour grace period and MultCo has to re-meter the mail and deliver it to the U.S. Postal Service, the Supplier shall pay the residual postage fee for the mail in question.
e. Supplier will pick up and deliver stamped and metered mail to the U.S. Postal Service at no additional charge during regularly scheduled pickups.
10. DIVISION OF ASSESSMENT, RECORDING AND TAXATION (DART) MAILINGS AND REQUIREMENTS
The following describes specific projects that are anticipated to be completed annually for DART. MultCo reserves the right to include or exclude any particular project, alter the quantities and services required, or add projects as needed. MultCo will not be held to the estimates stated as they may be lower or higher based on project need. All services will comply with any and all relevant U. S. Postal Service mailing and automation requirements. Refer to Buyer's Attachment D, Dart Job Estimates for more details.
a. November Tax Bills:
i. Date of Printing: October
ii. Number of Documents:280,000
iii. Tri-fold tax notice inserted with up to four (4) enclosures and return envelops; shall be delivered in batches of 30,000 to 40,000 pieces per day; legal date of mailing requirement for entire mailing will be met.
b. February Tax Bills:
i. Date of Printing: January
ii. Number of Documents: 25,000
iii. Tri-fold tax notice inserted with return envelope.
c. May Tax Bills:
i. Date of Printing: April
ii. Number of Documents: 30,000
iii. Tri-fold tax notice inserted with return envelope.
d. Delinquent Tax Notices:
i. Date of Printing: May
ii. Number of Documents: 20,000
iii. Tri-fold tax notice inserted with enclosures and return envelope.
e. Personal Property Returns:
i. Date of Printing: Early December
ii. Number of Documents: 25,000
iii. Tri-fold tax notice inserted with enclosures and return envelope
f. Veteranâs Exemption Filing Forms:
i. Date of Printing: December
ii. Number of Documents: 6,000
iii. Tri-fold tax notice inserted with enclosures and return envelope.
g. Special Requirements:
i. All notices will be pre-addressed and delivered to the Supplier in zip code order.
ii. Notices will be processed and delivered for barcoding in zip code order so that out-of-town zip code notices are mailed first.
iii. All damaged notices will be returned to DART within twenty-four (24) hours.
iv. Each mailing requires a written reconciliation report to be provided to the Tax Collection Administrator within ten (10) days of the completion of the mailing. The report shall indicate how many pieces were mailed to each zip code on each day.
v. Supplier will store all envelops and enclosures (provided by MultCo) necessary for mailings and provide quarterly inventory reports of supplies on hand.
vi. Each mailing shall typically require: folding and inserting; banding and traying for First Class Presort; delivery to a barcoding Supplier or the U.S. Postal Service.
vii. Supplier will have the ability to process certain mailings as âcertifiedâ, with a return receipt as proof of mailing and delivery to the addressee.
11. DART & OTHER PROJECTS TURNAROUND TIME
a. Except as provided in this section, the required turnaround time for all projects to Supplier to perform is forty-eight (48) hours.
b. The turnaround time for the MultCo DART property tax projects shall be established on a project by project basis as required by DART.
c. Other projects requiring less than forty-eight (48) hour turnaround time may be considered ârush jobsâ.
d. Process checks in twenty-four (24) hours same day mail entry, pick up time 4:30 pm.
12. OTHER SERVICES
Supplier will have the ability to provide the following services to Multco on an as need or project specific basis.
a. Intermittent mailings, potentially requiring CASS certification/NCOA standardization (CASS/ NCOA), and inkjet addresses and permit indicia. Items mailed may include health notices, probation billings, and customer surveys.
b. Electronic Certified Mail:Provides delivery information regarding your item. This information can be accessed online using a unique tracking number. The recipient's signature is obtained at the time of delivery and a record is maintained by the Post Office.
c. E-forward: Ability to update bad address with a good address while process mail for presort. E-forward is a tool that can help the MultCo stay compliant with the Automated Move Update Quality Measurement process.
d. Intelligent Mail Package Bar Code (IMpb): Provide parcel support by applying the IMpb barcode to qualify for commercial base pricing.
e. Create custom envelopes.
f. Back up metering location: In case of emergency, we would need to be able to process our daily mail metering tasks at this backup location. This includes metering letters, flats and parcels.
13. ADDITIONAL CHARGES
Bidder will describe any additional charges for alterations, quantity, or specification changes, or any services or materials not listed in the Items section of this sourcing event. Any additional charges will be itemized and provided as an uploaded SUPPLIER'S ATTACHMENT in this sourcing event. You may use your own format. Any additional charges must be approved by MultCo personnel responsible for the project represented at time of contracting.
14. BILLING
a. Presort Mail: An itemized invoice will be made on a weekly basis and will include details pertaining to the volume of mail processed by date and by differing postage rate; residual postage; and applicable discounts and/or premiums.
b. Invoices for sorting mail will be separate from invoices for other project mailings.
c. Supplier will provide monthly statistics in a spreadsheet format of postage upgrades which shows the quantity of mail qualified at each postage rate for each day with a summary of the residual postage by discount level, as well as any miscellaneous charges.
d. Mail Service Projects: An itemized invoice per job basis and include the MultCo assigned work request number, quantity, per unit price, service provided, and total job cost. Invoices for projects that involve delivery of mail to the U.S. Postal Service shall include a copy of the original completed Postal Statement.
e. Upon job completion, invoices will be sent to:
MultCo DCA Finance Hub
Attn: Distribution Services
501 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 400
Portland OR 97214
15. TERM OF CONTRACT
The contract term will not exceed five (5) years. MultCo may, at its discretion, cancel existing contracts, re-bid the work and/or establish new contracts before the end of the contract period.
All contract terms will apply during any renewal period unless Supplier has submitted in writing to MultCo, not less than 60 days prior to the contract anniversary, all price adjustments that will apply during the renewal period.
16. RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS PRACTICES
Supplier will not leave vehicles idling while parked for pickup and delivery of items, in accordance with Multnomah County Vehicle Idling Reduction Policy.
Supplier is encouraged to collaborate with the County and other entities utilizing contract through cooperative purchasing arrangements on ways to reduce fossil fuel usage when providing pickup and delivery services. Steps to improve fuel efficiency may include use of alternative fuels, use of vehicles with higher fuel efficiency, and optimization of schedules to maximize fuel efficiency.
17. INTERGOVERNMENTAL COOPERATIVE PURCHASING
Per Section 21 in the Procedural Instructions (Bids) in the Buyer Attachments Section, any contract resulting from this sourcing event may be available for use by other public agencies. Potential suppliers are to download and complete ATTACHMENT C in the Buyer Attachments section. When completed, upload ATTACHMENT C to the Supplier Attachment section to indicate if they agree to extend pricing under any resulting contract from this sourcing event to other agencies.
18. BID DOCUMENTS
All documents for this bid are available for view and download on the Buyer Attachments page of this Sourcing Event. The Buyer Attachments page includes the following:
For reference only - Does not need to be completed/returned:
Responding to a Sourcing Event
Procedural Instructions
Sample Contract
Exhibit 2
Exhibit 3
Exhibit 4
Attachment H-1
Attachment H-2
Attachment H-3
Attachment D
Please download, complete and upload as attachments:
Attachment C - Cooperative Purchasing Vendor Agreement
(if needed see Section 13) Additional Charges (No attachment provided, please use your own format)
BID SUBMISSION
Bids must be submitted electronically through this Sourcing Event.

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About Multnomah County

Multnomah County cares about equity in purchasing and contracting. We are committed to working with State Certified Firms and encourages Minority, Women and Emerging Small Business (MWESB), Service Disabled Veteran (SDV) firms and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) to compete for our contracting opportunities.

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